


Don't Wait Too Long

by wistfullywishing



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alcohol, Best Friend Luhan, Best Friends, Cuddling & Snuggling, Denial of Feelings, Friends to Lovers, Holding Hands, Humor, Love Confessions, M/M, New Year's Eve, Romance, Sexual Content, Sleeping Together, Unresolved Sexual Tension, drunk baek, in the literal sense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-21
Updated: 2017-05-21
Packaged: 2018-11-03 06:49:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10961931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wistfullywishing/pseuds/wistfullywishing
Summary: The turning of the year is the perfect time to clear up past misunderstandings in order to pave the way for new beginnings.Or, Baekhyun refuses to admit to himself that he's in love with his best friend. Chanyeol just hopes Baekhyun won't flee this time around.





	Don't Wait Too Long

Baekhyun is drunk.

"…and Baekhyun, you can’t keep doing this, you have to go talk to him. Or let him talk to you. Stop avoiding him," Luhan is saying. He pauses, knowingly. “Baekhyun, you’re not listening to me. You’re drunk.”

"I’m not drunk," Baekhyun denies passionately, struggling not to fall over. “I’ve only had…” he actually has lost track of how many drinks he’s imbibed. Not his fault the pink ones were delicious. He makes a mental note to compliment Jongdae on his mixing skills later. “... six drinks?” Baekhyun guesses.

The look on Luhan’s face, both concerned and pitying, tells him that his guess is probably wrong. Maybe that’s why he feels slightly dizzy. Baekhyun briefly entertains the notion of faking sick and escaping to the bathroom. At least then he wouldn't have to listen Luhan tell him how to live his life. He’s already gotten the same speech from Junmyeon and Yixing anyhow. 

He tries to turn his attention to the man across from him, if only so he can wait for a chance to interrupt. Luhan’s lips are too thin, Baekhyun decides. Not at all like Chanyeol’s. He’d much rather kiss Chanyeol than Luhan. Although, he suspects that has to do with more than just their lips. Behind Luhan, the lights that Jongdae had spent an entire afternoon hanging twinkle merrily from their spot above the Christmas tree, looking down and laughing at Baekhyun’s misfortune.  _ Stupid lights. _

"It’s a new year," Luhan repeats. “Whatever happened between you two at Sehun’s party last week. Fix it.” With that, Luhan gives him a meaningful look and stalks off, probably to go find Minseok. He calls one last thing over his shoulder as he leaves. "I expect to see both of you smiling by the end of the night, Baek!"

"Mind your own damn business," Baekhyun mutters in response to Luhan’s idealism when the other is out of earshot. Then he sighs. In truth, nothing had happened between him and Chanyeol. That was precisely the reason why he was upset.

They had arrived to Sehun’s Christmas party together and proceeded to get drunk whilst mocking all of their friends in relationships, which consisted of Luhan and Minseok, kissing in one corner; Junmyeon and his taller-than-Lotte-World-Tower boyfriend, kissing next to Sehun’s lopsided Christmas tree; and Kyungsoo and Jongin, who weren’t even together, kissing on the couch (though by the looks of it, they’d be closer in more ways than one by the end of the night). Jongdae was excitedly screaming. Yixing was trying to shush him. Zitao was shooting disgusted looks at Jongdae whilst covering his ears. Sehun was lying upside down on the other couch, probably drunk, dead, or both. The night started off well. 

Baekhyun didn’t know how at some point he and Chanyeol had gotten into a bedroom alone and somehow ended up on the bed, limbs tangled together and kissing like they were going to die tomorrow. He wasn’t complaining, though, because the way Chanyeol rolled his hips like  _ that _ was making him see stars. At some point he remembered reaching for the button at the top of Chanyeol’s jeans, and he also remembered with crystal clarity - the thing he remembered the most about the whole night- Chanyeol’s hands moving to stop him. Baekhyun didn’t recall falling asleep afterwards, but when he regained consciousness the bedside clock read 5:41 in red digital LED numbers and Chanyeol’s arm was wrapped loosely around him. Baekhyun had just laid there for a moment, relishing how nice it felt to wake up in his embrace, before the events of the night returned to him and most importantly, Chanyeol’s unspoken rejection, which hurt more than it should have, considering he saw him as nothing more than a best friend. He left as best he could with his broken dignity, under the cover of darkness, without leaving so much as a note.

Chanyeol sucked at being a best friend, Baekhyun thinks. What kind of best friend denied kisses and sex when you needed it? Baekhyun remembers how difficult it was to extract himself from the other’s tight hold and smiles regretfully, despite everything. Leaving Chanyeol alone and sneaking out of the house was the coward’s way out, but Baekhyun doesn’t care because this way he can almost pretend the night never happened. He and Chanyeol are - were, considering he has been avoiding the other since the party - nothing more than best friends. It’s that simple. 

Though, now, Baekhyun wonders if maybe it isn’t so simple after all.  _ I’m not in love with Chanyeol _ , he has to remind himself.  _ I don’t even like Chanyeol like that. _ It doesn’t matter that Chanyeol is the only person in the world who knows the exact way that he takes his coffee - black with extra milk and cream - and calls him during thunderstorms to make sure he hasn’t passed out. Baekhyun tries to ignore the way his heart clenches at the title of “best friends.”

Sighing to himself, he pushes off the wall behind him and turns to the kitchen to get a few more drinks. He ends up choosing two of the electric blue ones because they have a particularly nice hue that doesn't at all remind him of Chanyeol’s favorite shirt.  _ Maybe if he tries hard enough, he can drink himself into oblivion _ , Baekhyun decides. He's too busy balancing two champagne flutes between his fingers on each hand that he doesn't see the figure loitering at the entrance of the kitchen and collides straight into the shadow, who lets out a very undignified, girlish shriek. Baekhyun and the shadow crash to the floor together. He thinks he sees a pale hand dart out to grab a champagne flute, but the hand misses and liquid not-the-color-of-Chanyeol's-favorite-shirt sloshes out of the flutes and all over the two of them while the glass flutes shatter into a million tiny pieces on the kitchen tile. 

When Baekhyun finally looks up from his place on the floor, he first sees a concerned face scanning his own for injuries before, upon finding none, angelic features contort into a furious expression. 

"Byun Baekhyun," Luhan begins slowly as Baekhyun stands up. “I told you to find Chanyeol and kiss and make-up. Not drink yourself to death! And look what you’ve done,” he waves his arms helplessly, blue droplets flinging into the air, “This was a new shirt!” Luhan seems so sad and also really angry at him for not obeying his advice, and Baekhyun kind of feels sorry for what he’s done. He imagines he’ll get a harsher reprieve when he’s sobered up. Baekhyun sends a silent apology to Jongdae for smashing his expensive champagne flutes. When he chances a glance up, Luhan looks like he’s trying to hold back from strangling him out of frustration, so Baekhyun does the first thing he can think of and bolts for the staircase. 

_ Luhan must be really out of shape _ , Baekhyun thinks as he dashes up the stairs, because while escaping, he fell over in the living room at least once and tripped over his own feet in the hallway another two times. And yet, Luhan is nowhere to be seen behind him. Still, he can’t take any chances; Baekhyun keeps stumbling along the hallway, bracing himself on the walls, until he sees Minseok coming out from a bedroom and turning to close the door behind him. 

Baekhyun sees his chance and takes it. "Minseokkie," he hollers. Minseok startles and swivels around so quickly that Baekhyun worries he gave himself whiplash. The other relaxes upon seeing Baekhyun and shushes him while making gestures to the door. "I don’t really care,” Baekhyun interrupts loudly. “You can hide me from your evil and meddlesome boyfriend, right? He’s trying to kill me. Don’t let him kill me, Minseok,’ he says seriously, looking deep into Minseok’s eyes. The other looks horrified and perhaps slightly worried. 

Baekhyun hears footsteps clamoring down the hall towards him and feels really betrayed. He shoots Minseok a wounded expression. “Traitor.”

Before Minseok has a chance to respond, Baekhyun shoves him aside and lunges for the door handle. It takes him a few seconds to get in because he can’t remember the way doorknobs are supposed to turn, but makes it in the dark room and slams the door shut before Luhan can reach him. "I win! You and your back-stabbing boyfriend are no match for me."

"Baekhyun," Luhan starts, exasperated, but he’s quickly shushed by Minseok. Baekhyun can’t make out what Minseok whispers, but it’s probably not good for him judging from the way Luhan makes a noise of surprise and then laughs.

"Genius. Can the door be locked from the outside?"

Apparently, it can, because when Baekhyun tries to turn the doorknob a few moments later, it refuses to budge. Baekhyun is trying to figure out exactly why this is a score for Luhan and what this means for him when he hears a noise from behind him, coming from the dark. All of a sudden, all thoughts of Luhan and his traitor boyfriend are forgotten as Baekhyun’s brain decides now is the perfect time to revisit every single ghost story his ears have ever heard. 

Baekhyun turns away from the door and peers into the darkness apprehensively. He’s just deciding the noise must have been his imagination after all when a lamp flashes on and fear seizes his heart so completely that Baekhyun almost has a heart attack.

"Baekhyun?" 

Oh.

At least now he knows why Luhan was so excited.

Chanyeol is sitting on the edge of Jongdae’s bed, hair mussed from sleep, rubbing his eyes like he can’t believe Baekhyun is really here. Baekhyun thinks it should be illegal for someone to look that good upon just waking up. 

"Baekhyun?" Chanyeol repeats, getting to his feet. “What are you doing here?”

"Good question,” says Baekhyun, turning towards the door again. “I am not doing anything here. This is Luhan’s fault.” Baekhyun has no intention of staying. “Luhan,” he raps on the door loudly, “let me out. Please,” he adds, almost desperately, as an afterthought; maybe if he’s nice his friend will take pity on him. 

"Consider it payback for dumping alcohol on me," Luhan replies calmly through the door. Then, he turns serious. “Baekhyun,” he says softly. “Please do talk to Chanyeol, okay? He misses you even more than you’ve been missing him.”

What a ridiculous assumption. Baekhyun has been doing just fine without his heartbreaker of a best friend. Not, he amends, that he has been moping around acting heartbroken. He doesn’t love Chanyeol. Everything is fine.  _ He’s _ fine.

"Luhan," Baekhyun tries again. “Be reasonable.”

His pleas are ignored. About three minutes later, after he vaguely hears Minseok offering to lick all the alcohol off Luhan’s body and what sounds like aggressive kissing, Baekhyun is forced to accept that Luhan is not a reasonable human being. Also, he stares at the door in disgust and wonders how many drinks it would take for him to forget what he just heard. Because. Gross. He didn’t need to know. He considers running to the bathroom and making a big show of washing out his ears. 

Instead, he turns back around to Chanyeol, who had been calmly watching the whole scene unfold. He raises an eyebrow in question. “I spilled my cocktails on Luhan. No, not like that,” he adds hurriedly, seeing Chanyeol's horrified expression, then kind of regrets it. Is he jealous? He should have let Chanyeol be jealous. He deserved it for breaking Baekhyun’s heart. “What were you doing in here?”

“Sleeping,” Chanyeol says, fake-casually. “There was no one downstairs for me to mock all our friends-making-out with, so I thought I might as well get some sleep. Why are you avoiding me?”

Baekhyun narrows his eyes. Nice try. If Chanyeol thought he could guilt-trip him, he had another thing coming. “Sleeping with who?” he asks, throwing a sneer in for good measure. He ignores Chanyeol’s question.

Chanyeol raises his eyebrow at Baekhyun as if to say,  _ are you kidding me right now _ . “Does it look like anyone else is here in this room besides you?”

“Just checking.”  _ Might as well make it hard for Chanyeol. _ As if on cue, all the drinks Baekhyun had earlier catch up to him and he sways in place, still holding on to the door handle from his spot by the door.

Baekhyun,” Chanyeol says slowly. “How much have you had to drink?”

Baekhyun sighs. “Not enough,”  _ to forget about you _ , he adds silently. “I need some air,” he decides absently, then makes a beeline for the balcony, pretending that Chanyeol isn’t watching him stumble his way there.

When Baekhyun wrenches open the door to the balcony, the night air is instantly sobering as the chill of the cold wind slices through his flesh and settles in his bones. He ignores the way his gut clenches and steps out onto the terrace, leaning against the railing and admiring the stars that blink in the dark and how they contrast with the busyness of the city below, red lights flashing with the sound of traffic. He should have closed the door behind him, Baekhyun realizes too late, as he can still hear Chanyeol’s persistent voice through the open doorway, telling him to come inside before he catches pneumonia. Baekhyun tries to ignore the way his heart aches at this simple yet telling gesture. 

Chanyeol is walking closer, having given up trying to convince him to go indoors; Baekhyun can hear his uneven footfalls, the unsureness of his steps. Slowly, he comes to stand behind him.  _ Too close _ , Baekhyun thinks as he subtly presses closer to the railing, anything to get away from Chanyeol’s touch. His pulse is racing and he’s afraid the other can hear the rapid beating of his heart, no longer lazy from the effects of alcohol. He’s visibly shivering at this point, the icy draught raising goosebumps on his skin.

“Baekhyun,” Chanyeol murmurs, draping his sweater around Baekhyun’s shoulders. The sweater smells like Chanyeol, a mix of something familiar and somehow not at the same time. Baekhyun’s just wearing a thin t-shirt, but it’s the gesture that warms him more than the clothing. The soft wool cardigan is a few sizes too big, but it doesn’t really matter. The fresh air isn’t stilling his nerves at all. “Were you planning to jump off the balcony just to avoid talking to me?”

It’s said as a joke, with the undertones of a laugh, but Baekhyun almost answers  _ yes _ , because if he doesn’t jump to his death Chanyeol’s proximity will probably kill him anyway. “Don’t,” he warns instead. He doesn’t turn around to look at Chanyeol’s face. His weak attempts at humor do nothing to lighten the mood; if anything, they highlight the awkwardness permeating the air, the awkwardness that used to never have a presence in their relationship. 

Strong arms wrap around his middle, tightly, a hug from behind. Baekhyun freezes, internally panicking, but on the outside makes no effort to acknowledge the weight around his midsection. He goes on pretending like Chanyeol is a stranger. They stand there like that, both wondering about the thoughts swirling in the other’s mind, both afraid to disrupt the careful truce with the slightest of wrong movements.

Finally, Chanyeol breaks the silence. “Are you still cold?” he whispers next to Baekhyun’s ear, resting his chin on the smaller’s shoulder. A wisp of his hair slips down over one eye, tickling Baekhyun’s cheek. Baekhyun itches to push it away. He’s afraid to answer the question, afraid that opening his mouth might lead to other deep, dark secrets spilling out and shattering the glass wall between them. 

The night is still. Then, the bomb drops.

“Why are you ignoring me, Baekhyun?” The voice is soft, hurt. It’s one that always draws Baekhyun in, makes him do its bidding. 

Fuck, Baekhyun thinks. Aloud he says, "I’m not." Both of them know it’s a lie. Then, Baekhyun decides,  _ screw it; things can’t possibly get more awkward than they already are. _

"I’m just glad you stopped me last week and told me you didn’t want me," he lies. Even now, it still hurts. "Because I’ve decided I don’t want you either-” he can almost hear the wind laughing at him here.  _ Liar, liar,  _ it chants, “-and we wouldn’t want to have any regrets. New year, new Baekhyun.” He tries to ignore the way his voice wobbles and how it raises in pitch towards the end, like he’s asking a question. Despite the sobering qualities of the cold night air, he did have a lot to drink. Baekhyun is still half drunk, and he realizes that he’s rambling and probably a good portion of what’s coming out of his mouth doesn’t make sense while what’s left is too revealing of his inner thoughts, but he can’t seem to stop. And Chanyeol was always too perceptive for his own good.

He seems surprised, if the shocked silence is anything to go by. Baekhyun chances a quick glance back at Chanyeol’s face, then promptly hates himself for it. There’s a hint of amusement in Chanyeol’s eyes. Baekhyun hates the way they sparkle because it’s too charming and hurts him too much. 

"Who said I didn’t want you," Chanyeol says in a low tone. Slowly, he starts nosing his way along the curve of Baekhyun’s neck, breathing on his skin, and wow, now this is just unfair. Baekhyun kind of wants to cry. At the same time, it feels really nice, so he tilts his head to the side to give Chanyeol better access to his neck.

When Chanyeol starts alternating between harshly sucking on the skin where the back of his neck meets his shoulder and then soothing the area with his tongue, it’s the final straw. Baekhyun lets out a low moan and then, too late, his mind realizes his mistake. Instantly, both of them freeze. 

Baekhyun doesn’t know why he thinks now of all times is an appropriate time to crane his neck around to look at Chanyeol, but he does anyway. He looks Chanyeol directly in the eye, hating how he has to tilt his head up due to the other’s height, noting the thinly veiled lust in the other’s gaze, and there’s only a split second of hesitation before his best friend leans down and Chanyeol’s lips are on his. 

It’s so much better than the last time, and when he parts his lips and lets Chanyeol lick into his mouth, Baekhyun is suddenly glad that he stopped him last week because if they hadn’t stopped, he might have gotten hooked on the taste of Chanyeol’s skilled tongue and suffered through withdrawals for an entire week. Even as his arm reaches up so he can wind his fingers in Chanyeol’s hair, thinking about the last time knocks sense into Baekhyun, and he pulls away to really look at Chanyeol, who has something unreadable in his eyes. The way Chanyeol looks back at him, glassy eyes and swollen lips, has Baekhyun’s resolve wavering.

Before Baekhyun can talk himself out of his actions, he’s leaning in again because who knows when he’ll get another chance like this. Chanyeol meets him halfway, and Baekhyun wants to feel as close to him as possible, wants to feel his body up against those lean muscles, so he turns around and lets Chanyeol press him into the railing. It’s only a few seconds before Chanyeol lifts Baekhyun up so he can perch on the edge of the balcony railing, and Baekhyun’s breath hitches as he realizes how high up above the city they are, and what this means for how much he trusts Chanyeol. Even though he’s sure Chanyeol would never let him fall, Baekhyun wraps a leg around the taller’s middle as a backup, and oh, Chanyeol is definitely enjoying this as much as he is, if the hardness pressing into his thigh is any indication. 

Feeling the other’s arousal gives Baekhyun the courage to kiss Chanyeol harder, biting down on his bottom lip and soothing the bite with wet licks. He yanks on Chanyeol’s hair, and when the other lets out a gasp of pleasure Baekhyun takes the opportunity to slip his tongue in between Chanyeol’s parted lips. The kiss becomes more frantic and heated, all insistent pushing with tongues and tugging on lips with teeth, because Baekhyun needs as much as he can get, desperately drinking in the other because this madness will only last for so long. They have to pull away for air after a bit, and when they do, Baekhyun hears Chanyeol whisper _ jump _ , so he does and wraps both of his legs around Chanyeol’s waist. Then he leans down to resume his attack on Chanyeol’s bruised lips, at the same time feeling half of the worries in his mind uncoil and slip away. 

Chanyeol tightens his grip on Baekhyun’s ass, triggering a whine from Baekhyun, who pushes back into Chanyeol’s palms. He laughs into their shared kiss, a precious, breathy sound that makes Baekhyun’s heart clench and nip the other’s skin in retaliation. Chanyeol carries him back inside the bedroom, shifting Baekhyun in his arms so he can pull the balcony door shut behind them. When Baekhyun realizes Chanyeol’s target destination is the queen-sized bed, his heart doesn’t even have time to race before he’s being dropped on the mattress,  _ and they’ve already come this far _ . Chanyeol drops his knee on the bed next to Baekhyun’s body, leaning over him, but he loses his balance and falls over Baekhyun when he reaches up to pull off Chanyeol’s shirt and tosses it to the floor.

“Sorry,” Baekhyun barely makes out, not sorry at all. Chanyeol doesn’t seem to care, too busy peppering kisses along his jaw, so he continues and tugs off Chanyeol’s belt too before pulling him close again. 

It’s not long before Baekhyun is scooting backwards toward the center of the bed, pulling the other with him. The way that Chanyeol crawls over his body and unbuckles Baekhyun’s belt seems so predatory and familiar at the same time. 

“Pants,” Chanyeol motions, at the same time moving back a bit to work on his own clothes. Both of them get down to their boxers, and Baekhyun moves to shove that off too but he’s stopped by Chanyeol lunging to grip his wrists and pin them to the pillows, shaking his head  _ no _ .

Being rejected for the second time is wounding and frustrating at the same time. “Why not,” Baekhyun hisses, trying to kick Chanyeol but missing and hitting thin air. “You did this last week, too,” he accuses in a harsh whisper because all of a sudden he’s mad. He doesn’t appreciate being toyed with.

To his credit, Chanyeol doesn’t even look alarmed at Baekhyun’s sudden wrath; he just presses a soft kiss to the corner of Baekhyun’s mouth even though Baekhyun is purposely being as difficult as possible, keeping his face turned away from the other. “You didn’t let me explain,” he sighs. “You just ran off.”

“I didn’t want our first time to be with both of us drunk,” Chanyeol continues. “I want both of us to be able to remember it,” he says with sincere eyes and a shy smile curving his rosy lips. 

Part of Baekhyun wants to question the truth of the statement (though he’s not sure what Chanyeol would stand to gain by lying, since Baekhyun is already all too willing to relinquish all control over his body), but the other part of him is so happy that he could kiss Chanyeol, so he does. He’s busy pressing butterfly kisses all around the other’s face when a thought occurs to him, and he pauses. “Today?” he questions, looking hopefully at the bed under him, but Chanyeol only smiles ruefully and shakes his head.

He plants a loud kiss on the tip of Baekhyun’s nose, then lies down next to him, one arm loosely around Baekhyun’s waist. "Not today, either, Baekhyun. You’re still drunk."

"Wouldn’t be fucking drunk if someone was better at giving explanations," Baekhyun mumbles.

“Would’ve been able to give an explanation if someone hadn’t crept out of the bed at five in the morning and avoided me for a fucking week,” Chanyeol counters, looking pointedly at Baekhyun. At Baekhyun’s frown, he laughs and scoots closer, wrapping his strong arm around Baekhyun and pulling him further in his warm embrace. “I’m kidding. You’re so cute, Baek.”

"Why are we even undressed then,” Baekhyun whines. Damn Chanyeol and his stupid logic that makes logical sense. 

Chanyeol smirks. "Just because we can’t sleep together in that sense, doesn’t mean we can’t still sleep together in the literal sense. Jongdae will thank us later for not getting his sheets dirty, anyway," he explains while drawing the covers up so they can slip under them.

"I still don’t like you," Baekhyun says.

“Sure,” Chanyeol agrees with a noncommittal sound, finding Baekhyun’s hand and lacing their fingers together. “That’s not what you were saying last week. I thought you ran from me because of what you said.”

_ What. _

Up until now, Baekhyun forgot that he was prone to blabbering all sorts of nonsense when he was drunk off his heels. Instantly, he stiffens and lets go of Chanyeol’s hand. “The hell is that supposed to mean? What did I say?” he asks insistently in what he prays comes off as an even tone, hoping Chanyeol can’t hear the nervous wavers in his voice. He almost doesn’t want to know.  

Chanyeol must be able to feel the change in Baekhyun’s stature because he, too, suddenly tenses, almost as if he’s realizing the mistake he made in bringing up something better left undiscussed. Baekhyun can imagine Chanyeol’s panic, his mind freezing up, the wheels in his brain turning to crank out an excuse, a distraction, anything. His hesitation tells Baekhyun that whatever he happened to blurt out while drunk must carry enough gravity to warrant talking out the matter, if only to make sure they’re both on the same page. 

Baekhyun rolls over and bites gently on Chanyeol’s neck. "What is it,” he asks in a light tone, hoping that his forced calmness will win Chanyeol over. To his delight, Chanyeol briefly pulls his bottom lip between his teeth, before letting go and caving. 

"You said you loved me," he finally admits, looking away. “So quietly that I thought you were awake. One minute, you just said it: ‘I love you, Channie.’ Conversational.” After several beats of silence, he turns back and casts a worried look at Baekhyun.

_ No _ . Baekhyun’s insides freeze.

“I didn’t,” Baekhyun tries to deny, his voice rising with panic. He was drunk but he still knows that Chanyeol must be imagining things. “There’s no way that can be true.” He can’t be in love with Chanyeol, because Chanyeol doesn’t even love him back,  _ won’t even sleep with him once _ . What they have is only meant to be casual. He tries to push the blankets away so he can leave the bed because all of a sudden the air is too thick and he can’t be having this conversation with his heart wide open and laid bare, can’t be hurt again, can’t admit truths to Chanyeol that he won’t even admit to himself. Baekhyun almost succeeds in running away, but Chanyeol refuses to let him escape for the second time.

In an instant, Chanyeol is on top of Baekhyun and strong arms are caging him in, cutting off all of his escape routes. "Hey! It’s okay," he reassures. Then, so quietly that Baekhyun almost misses it, “I love you, too.”

Baekhyun is so busy trying to pull himself and his emotions together that the full force of Chanyeol’s confession doesn’t sink in until he replays the words in his head.

"You love me?" he asks, sure that the other can hear the doubt in his voice, "No. Really?"

“Unfortunately,” Chanyeol rolls his eyes so hard Baekhyun is positive they’ll get stuck. “I do. For about seven months,” he admits with false regret, “Fuck. I wasn’t going to tell you until you agreed to go on a date with me. You suck, Brathyun.” He lets out a loud and exaggerated sigh. 

Regardless of his joking tone, the way Chanyeol looks at him with pure adoration plain in his expression banishes all of the doubts Baekhyun has. And Baekhyun concedes that he might be a little bit in love with Chanyeol, too. 

"I can," Baekhyun offers back with a shy yet sly smile. It takes Chanyeol a few beats to get the innuendo because they’re both so tired, so physically and emotionally drained from the evening’s events, but he eventually gets Baekhyun’s gist.

"Don’t care," Chanyeol laughs. "We are not going there today."

"You’re no fun," Baekhyun pouts. Chanyeol laughs again and rolls them over, pulling Baekhyun on top of him and messing up the carefully-tucked covers.

"I can be plenty of fun.” Then, Chanyeol leans close and whispers a proposition in Baekhyun’s ears that makes him blush.

_ If you’re sober enough tomorrow morning, you can tug my boxers off with your teeth. _

Just thinking about it makes Baekhyun’s blood flow south, and judging from Chanyeol’s massive smirk, he knows it too. Two can play at this game.

"So if I’m sober enough to do that tomorrow morning, I can blow you and then you’ll fuck me into next week over this bed?"

Baekhyun loves the startled and scandalized expression that graces Chanyeol’s features momentarily before he smooths his features back into a composed mask and raises an eyebrow. "If you can, Baek,” he challenges. “But, don’t you think it’s too soon for that kind of camaraderie?"

"You said you’ve loved me for seven months? And I’ve probably loved you twice as long without realizing it. I think the terms ‘about time’ are more appropriate for this situation," declares Baekhyun in a moment of courage. It’s not what he was planning to say, but as soon as he does, he realizes it’s true. Still, he can’t help blushing during his confession, but Baekhyun thinks that the way Chanyeol looks at him with stars in his eyes, even in the dark, makes those three words possibly worth repeating every day until the end of forever. Even though Baekhyun knows the feeling is mutual, he’s still new to this love thing and somewhat embarrassed, so he rolls over on his side and fits himself into the curve of Chanyeol’s body. 

An ungraceful snort issues from Chanyeol, who raises himself on his elbows behind Baekhyun, erasing Baekhyun’s mild feelings of awkwardness lingering in the air between them. "You just had to one-up me." He reaches up to tweak Baekhyun’s nose. 

Baekhyun swats his hand away and kicks Chanyeol with his foot, but a second later he thinks better of his actions and tugs Chanyeol’s free hand around himself, lacing their fingers together.

Neither of them can see each other’s face from their positions, but they both know that the other is secretly smiling. Vaguely, Baekhyun remembers Luhan’s directions about wanting to see them both smiling by the end of the night.

"I love you, Baekhyun," Chanyeol says again. He moves restlessly for the umpteenth time, slotting his longer leg in between Baekhyun’s shorter ones, tangling their bodies together under the covers.

"I know, Chanyeol.”

“You’re not going to say it back?”

“Once is enough for today.”

“Brat.”

“Go to sleep, Park."

“You too, Byun.”

Baekhyun closes his eyes and snuggles closer to Chanyeol. The way that Chanyeol traces gentle circles with his thumb on the back of his hand, combined with the sensation of Chanyeol’s skin, rough and calloused from playing guitar, is so soothing. Baekhyun is about to drift off to sleep when he hears the faint crackle of fireworks popping in the distance, away from the tall buildings of the city district.

Baekhyun cracks open an eyelid just in time to see the red atomic numbers on Jongdae’s bedside alarm shift from 11:59 to 12:00. "Chanyeol?" he asks quietly, wondering if the other is already half passed-out, unconscious. 

"Hmmm?" Chanyeol hums sleepily, still awake after all. His long fingers continue their massage on Baekhyun’s hand. 

"Happy New Year, Yeollie." It’s a faint whisper carried by the night air.

Chanyeol’s fingers stutter when he hears his old nickname, the one that Baekhyun was only ever allowed to use. He stops his circling to gently hold Baekhyun’s hand.

“Happy New Year, Baek," he responds, equally quietly. “It’ll be a good one.” His words hold a promise in their meaning.

Baekhyun makes a soft noise of affirmation. Together, they gradually fall asleep, bathed in pale moonlight leaking in through glass windows and sustained on optimistic wishes for the future.

**Author's Note:**

> (let's be friends on [twitter](http://www.twitter.com/wistfullywishes)! ♡)


End file.
